Algeria’s U17 World Cup squad features several notable omissions

Algeria will return to the FIFA U-17 World Cup for the first time in 17 years, but their squad for the tournament in Qatar includes several notable absences.

The competition runs from 19 November to 13 December, with the squad announced by head coach Amine Ghimouz prompting particular attention because of the players left out.

Among the most prominent omissions is Mouhammed Valmy, who impressed at the last Africa Cup of Nations U17. The forward scored twice against Tanzania and was named player of the match, while Ghimouz also praised his displays during the continental tournament.

Yanis Messaoudi, a young player at AC Milan, has also not been selected. Bilal Daaou of Eintracht Frankfurt U19 and Zinedine Zouai of Sochaux U19 are absent as well.

No reasons were given for the omission of the four players in the announcement accompanying the squad.

The decisions are likely to attract scrutiny because this group represents a significant source of hope for Algerian football. Algeria have not appeared at the U-17 World Cup since the 2009 edition in Nigeria.

Despite the missing players, Ghimouz has included several members of the promising generation.

Yacine Abed, who stood out at the Africa Cup of Nations U17, has been selected. So too have Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Rayan Zidane and Olympique Lyonnais player Walid Nechab.

Ramy Benkhiat of Nice is also in the squad after choosing Algeria last month.

The team will further include Ilyes Grini of Lens, Nazim Benghezel of Amiens, Mahdi Maghlout of Inter Milan and Khalil Touali, another player praised by Ghimouz during the continental tournament.

Algeria have been drawn in Group J alongside the United States, Chile and Montenegro. Their aim will be to reach the knockout stage on their return to the global competition.

“Our ambition is to go far in the tournament and, of course, to do our country proud,” Ghimouz said previously.

The return marks an important moment for Algeria’s youth set-up, but the team will face the challenge without several players who had been expected to feature in Qatar.